College is a place where you find out who you are meant to be. We pay a lot of money to find this out, so why waste it on something you don't really want to do. If your heart simply isn't "in it" why keep up with what you're doing that you don't like?

Simple. It will pay the best, it is in line with what your parents want for you, or it is what society suggests and expects of you.

I am here to let you know that while those things may be true, you will never truly be happy unless you are committed to the thing you are studying and you truly enjoy it.

I am a journalism major with a minor in film & media arts as well as a minor in linguistics. I love words. I love the way that I feel when I read a good book, a good article or magazine feature or watch a good movie. So why not make a career out of it? Because being a journalist is not something that everyone thinks makes a difference, but it does. The media gets a bad rap for the way that events and people are portrayed. However, I don't intend to be one of those journalists, which is why I am going into the field.

I feel that if I can adhere to the cardinal rule of journalism, which is to be objective and always tell the truth, then I can be of service to the people. By creating things that make people feel good and safe, I can contribute to society just as much as a doctor that makes people feel better when their body is fighting against them in all kinds of ways. I can be of service just like a lawyer by providing fair and accurate reports of events to hold the people to blame accountable and to free those who are innocent.

So I encourage you to go through with your dream even if it involves something that is not traditionally thought of when going to college. You will meet people of all backgrounds and have fantastic discussion about what it means to be a human and how we fit into this world together. You will learn how to perfect the written word, and how to make people feel like they have a purpose and someone to identify with when they read your writing. Eventually, I would like to work in television. It is something that I think makes a difference in our everyday lives and we don't even realize it. The kinds of people I get to hang around are extremely creative and intelligent so why would I opt out for something more normal?

I have always been good at writing. I won tons of awards from kindergarten to senior year in high school for it and, yes, even spelling bees. As I went through my life, I tried to convince myself that I needed to be something science-y to make a difference. I have always been a pro power for women person before I even knew the word feminist, and I thought that I had to burst through the glass ceiling to make an impact. I thought that I could not get by with just writing and making people feel things. I finally got that it was cool to be totally invested in a fandom or a book and that there are people in the world who love that too.

Fortunately, I have parents who have always supported me in anything I have ever done, talked about doing and then subsequently gave up on doing. So, I bounced around a lot of careers, but by the time I got to college I understood that I was made to be a writer and I have not changed my major one time since my arrival, nor do I intend to.

I now understand that anything you do, as long as you put everything you have into it, can change the world. If the world seems too extreme for you, change your community. In the words of one of my favorite novelists, "What is the point of living if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"

John Green today, John Green tomorrow, John Green forever.

BOOM, double reference. Only book nerds will get it and I am cool with that. Welcome to the world of journalism. We welcome you and I hope you really transform everything you think for the better with the fresh ideas you hear from all the interesting people you meet.